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Frank Gallagher

Publications and source records attributed to Frank Gallagher.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Window renovation and exposure to lead--an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Renovation of windows in old houses has recently established itself as an industry. A recognizable occupational lead exposure exists, which has not been studied previously. AIM: To compare lead exposure amongst window renovators with other groups of lead-exposed workers. METHODS: Using blood lead results measured at the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL), Sheffield, comparisons were made between three cohorts: window renovation workers, all male workers monitored by HSL during the period 1999-2001 and 63 male subjects involved in chemical paint-stripping of wood. RESULTS: Both the window renovation and the wood-stripping cohorts show significantly higher blood lead distributions than the 'all workers' cohort (P < 0.001). A similar pattern was also found for comparison of the prevalence of subjects above the UK suspension level of 60 microg/dl (2.89 microM) (window renovation, P < 0.001; wood-stripping, P < 0.0001). Blood lead results at or above the suspension level in wood-strippers were significantly higher compared to window renovators (P = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Window renovation is shown to present a potential for significant lead exposure, and suspension from work under The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002. Two groups of risk factors predominate: the well-documented potential for release of lead from old paint, and the peripatetic nature of the work.

Chemical Industry↗
PubMed2005

Respiratory symptoms, immunology and organism identification in contaminated metalworking fluid workers. What you see is not what you get.

BACKGROUND: Metal working fluids (MWF) constitute a significant respiratory hazard, although symptoms experienced by workers are often poorly investigated and attributed. AIMS: A single possible case of extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) led to a formal workplace investigation. It was clear that other exposed workers were affected. The aim of this study was to accurately quantify the clinical, immunological and microbiological findings in MWF workers following presentation of a sentinel case. METHODS: Eleven of 21 individuals participated; eight were assessed by symptom questionnaire, spirometry and serology and three workers provided blood samples only. The microbes cultured from MWF and air samples were used to determine the presence of precipitating antibodies. RESULTS: Work-related respiratory symptoms were reported in six of eight individuals questioned, two of these complaining of 'flu-like' symptoms. Personal breathing zone measures identified 2.1 x 10(3) to 1.1 x 10(5) colony-forming units/m3 air (CFU/m3). Pseudomonas fluorescens was isolated from air samples. Despite visible 'fungal' contamination of MWF, airborne fungi were detectable in only one sample, at 486 CFU/m3 air. MWF cultured Eurotium sp., Fusarium sp. and Pseudomonas sp. Precipitating IgG antibodies to Pseudomonas sp. were identified in 4/11 and to an extract of the MWF in 3/11. IgG to Pseudomonas was elevated in the two individuals who had the strongest precipitating bands to Pseudomonas sp. CONCLUSIONS: Workplaces with possible EAA must be investigated promptly, thus allowing clinical assessment to be contemporary to exposures and accurate microbiological profiling included to identify the likely cause.

Adult↗